The Serpent and The Bird

"You are hereby released from your Vow".

She felt his hands wrapped around her and the soft breathing of his mouth against the back of her neck before she opened her eyes.
And she smiled.
Because that's how she had wished to awake with him for a long time.

Everleigh didn't want to wake him up, but she couldn't resist the urge to softly stroke the length of the arm around her chest.
And then she caressed the fingers of the other hand, which was laying right in front of her face, as that arm was placed underneath her pillow.

She was suffocating in Sebastian's heat, but she didn't care.

Everleigh felt his body moving behind her, and she was just preparing to open her mouth and wish him a good morning, when suddenly Sebastian went rigid. And a second later, he was moving away from her, taking his arms with him.

He moved to a sitting position, towards the edge of the mattress, and she stared at his back for a long time before speaking.

- Hey...

But when she extended her arm and touched the tensed muscles of his shoulder, Sebastian stood up immediately. Like he couldn't bare the touch.
And without turning around to look at her, he walked out of the tent.
But she was not going to let him do that to her anymore.
She jumped out of the mattress and followed him through the door.

Sebastian was standing right outside of the tent, his back towards her, and Everleigh could see the anguish as he was rubbing his face with both hands.

- Please, talk to me.

She whispered, crossing her arms over her chest to protect herself from the morning cold breeze.

- I can't do this, Everleigh.

- Do what? Touch me?

Everleigh tried to hide the hurt in her voice but it was there anyway, plastered all over her words. And the fact that Sebastian didn't bother answering, was enough to make her turn around and head back into the tent. She fought against the tears, but they came out in a torrent.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

For the rest of the week they traveled in silence. And it felt like the beginning of their journey all over again.
Sebastian was back to sleeping on the couch, and she hadn't argued a single time about it. He refused to share whatever was going on inside his head.

To his merit, he seemed absolutely heartbroken with the dynamic they now had and sometimes she would catch him staring at her with longing in his eyes. But he wasn't trying to fix it, either. And Everleigh was exhausted.
Tired of fighting for someone that didn't want to fight for her. And instead, they were fighting each other.

- Oban is only a day away from here. - He had said that to her that same morning. - We'll make a stop there and try to find another goblin that can unlock your shackles.

But Everleigh wasn't having it anymore.

- We are going straight to The Shiants. I'm not stopping anywhere else.

Sebastian had gone livid as he looked away from the map he was eying to set his sight on her.

- We are not going to the last trial if you don't have your magic.

- My magic wouldn't help me, either way. The last trial won't test it.

- I don't care. It's dangerous.

- I'm not delaying this any more, Sebastian.

Her curt tone had made him closed his hands into fists, but he didn't say anything back. Instead, he spent the rest of the day with a clenched jaw and a brooding attitude.